FBI warns of public ‘juice jack’ charging stations stealing data.How to stay protected

Next time you’re considering using a free charging station at an airport, hotel, or shopping center, we encourage you to think carefully. The dangers of public USB charging stations are: not new — This practice is also called ‘juicejacking’ and the products it spawned: USB condom However, the FBI has now made it clear that you should permanently avoid questionable free electricity services in your area.

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Recent Tweet From Denver, the FBI is advising travelers, commuters and civilians alike not to use free charging stations for fear of juice jacking. This means it can be introduced by criminals with very little illegal modification. malware It steals surveillance software and phone data as soon as you connect your device to an open port.

Avoid using free charging stations at airports, hotels and shopping centers. Malicious attackers have found ways to use public USB ports to introduce malware and surveillance software into devices. Carry your own charger and his USB cord and use the outlet instead. pic.twitter.com/9T62SYen9T

— FBI Denver (@FBIEnver) April 6, 2023

The best solution to this problem is not to charge your device from public outlets. But if you have a pressing need, here’s another way to fix your battery without compromising your personal information.

the first option is portable battery bankBy acting as a middleman, you can top up your external battery and relay that energy to your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. without compromising your data or security.

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A second option is usb data blockerSimilar to portable batteries, USB adapters act as a middleman between personal devices and potentially malicious outlets. This security is achieved by eliminating the data wires previously found in USB cables. Connecting an accessory to the charging cable physically blocks data transfer between the outlet and your device.

Most data blockers, such as those recommended above, support adaptive charging. The most important thing to remember is to never plug your device directly into a public outlet that you are wary of.